New Recruiter Seeks Sage Advice

As a new Physician Recruiter, I am eager to learn — and decided to reach out to some ASPR veterans for their sage advice. I contacted several members of the ASPR leadership team, including members of the board of directors and committee chairs, to learn what they considered key pieces of advice for those new to the field of in-house physician recruitment. Here’s what they had to say:

“Trust in the Process. In the field of physician recruitment there isn’t any immediate gratification; everything is about the long haul. The process can be quite lengthy, but new recruiters should believe in it.”

“Take no for an answer and focus on the next candidate; there will always be more misses than hits.”

“Instead of ‘selling’ an opportunity to a candidate, physician recruiters should want to give them a realistic point of view about the practice. If a physician recruiter does not tell a prospective candidate the whole story about an organization, the placement can be a failure. [I’d rather] make no placement than a bad one. Look deeper at the prospective hire to ensure they are a great fit.”

“Purchase the ASPR Benchmarking Survey to track success. If anyone asks you how well you are doing, if you can do more, what resources you need to do a better job, or indicates that you are not meeting their expectations, having that benchmarking survey at your fingertips may go a long way to supporting your efforts. Many people in the healthcare industry are currently using external benchmarks to measure success.”

“Learn the basics of Graduate Medical Education. It is important for new physician recruiters to know the number of years of training various medical specialties require, in addition to the basic rotations of residents and fellows. Unless you recruit for a specialty hospital or a small, rural hospital, you will eventually recruit for every major specialty in medicine. Get to know the chief residents, fellows, and coordinators at [your] local training programs.”

“Embrace all roles associated with physician recruitment. In most cases, you won’t be just a recruiter. Some aspects associated with physician recruitment include working as a travel and real estate agent, concierge, event coordinator, and school coordinator. It is important for recruiters to perform the aforementioned roles well, because physicians will be forever grateful for your help!”

“New physician recruiters ought to become involved in their communities and familiarize themselves with people who can benefit their physicians on a business and personal level: bankers, accountants, financial planners, real estate agents, restaurants owners, florists, and spa owners. It will be a win-win situation for both parties.”

“Check out the resource library, which is available in the members’ only section of www.aspr.org [and consider] joining the mentorship program offered through ASPR.”

As I prepare to finish this article, and ready myself for another day at Hattiesburg Clinic, I am grateful for my ASPR membership and the helpful people I have met since becoming a physician recruiter in October 2011. I plan to keep these pieces of advice in mind as I approach my one-year anniversary in this exciting field.